NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Bound by debt
Soren
The smack echoed off the peeling walls. Rowan's head jerked to the side, dark hair obscuring his face for a moment before he lifted his chin and stared back, angry, with those dark, challenging eyes. It's almost amusing, the way he glared up at me, restrained but utterly undaunted, as if he was somehow still in control.
"You think that's the worst I can do?" I asked, He didn't respond, his jaw clenched tight, muscles taut like a spring, but he said nothing, only watching me like he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. I've seen that look a hundred times.
"You might be an Alpha-born, but that's meaningless here," I continued, I leaned closer so he couldn't ignore the full power of my presence. "I might be an Omega, but I'm more powerful than you'll ever dream of."
My remark is met with silence, yet he didn't look away. I caught the flicker of his nose as he subtly sniffed the air again. I was surprised but I masked it swiftly. No one has ever been able to detect me. I have no pheromone for people to detect my rank. That's why I flew under the radar but somehow, this…boy has managed to sniff me out. The second other Alphas notice that I wasn't born an Alpha then things start to go south. I needed my rank undetected and this boy was a danger to that. He could spoil my plans with just one word for him, they will believe him since he is an Alpha.
His eyes gleamed with recognition, and I felt a rush of irritation as he continued to hold that piercing gaze, as if he was seeing right through me. I straightened, brushing a speck of invisible dust off my sleeve as I glanced around his miserable room, taking in the torn wallpaper, the sagging mattress in the corner, the single, battered chair. It was almost laughable, he was living like a pauper yet he had the pride of a rich man. I wish I could pity him but I didn't get to where I am now by pitying people. It was one of the perks of being who I was. I make people do what I want by force. I couldn't pity him if I wanted to, he was too proud for that but he didn't deserve my pity, not when he was looking at me like I was a disgusting piece of gum at the bottom of his shoes.
"You have an enormous pride for someone who lives like this," my voice laced with thinly veiled disdain.
He did, I knew his father was barely living and that's why he borrowed money from me but I had no idea he was using it to take care of his son. Who knew?
A dry smile twisted on his face, almost as if he's proud. "Not everyone's living like a prince, or bully people for money," he muttered, his voice clipped like he was holding back a lot of anger.
I narrowed my eyes, searching his face for any hint of weakness. But all I found is a stubborn pride that borders on arrogance. For a moment, the silence stretched between us, heavy with something I couldn't quite place. He's tense, bristling with hostility, but there's something else there, hidden beneath the surface, a tension that's more than just anger. It tugged at the corner of my mind, sparking an unsettling awareness I didn't care to examine too closely.
He looked at me with such disgust that I was certain he despised me. But if he's so unaffected, why hasn't he looked away? I considered it for a moment, weighing the possibility, and then, with a smirk, I decided to test it.
"Well, since your father isn't here to settle his debts," I said with a careless shrug, "you'll be working it off. I'm not leaving empty-handed."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere with you," he snapped. "My father's dead because of people like you, because of those damn debts. I won't be one of your lapdogs."
The bitterness in his voice was well deserved, his words cut sharper than I would have expected. But I didn't respond, letting his anger simmer in the silence. Then, slowly, I clapped my hands with a slow smirk on my lips.
At the signal, two of my guards barged in, each with cold, detached expressions as they approached Rowan. Without a word, one snapped a heavy, metallic clasp around his neck, the chain rattling as they fastened it securely while he struggled. It was of no use, he was restrained so he was at a disadvantage. Rowan glared at me, fury sparking in his eyes. "What's this supposed to mean?" he demanded, "I am not a dog that you can restrain for your amusement,"
I leaned in, and gave him a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "You're mine now. Consider it a down payment. You'll work off every last cent your father owes me, until I'm…" I trailed off as my eyes roamed his body, "Satisfied."
Rowan laughed, the short and bitter sound made his lip curl in derision. "If you think I'm going anywhere near you, or doing a damn thing for you, then you're mistaken. I know what you are really after and it is disgusting, you are disgusting. I'd rather cut off my arm than look at you twice."
I shrugged, unfazed but deep inside, I was fucking furious for his audacity, I was a sight to look at, damn it! "Suit yourself."
He tried to pull against the chain, thrashing and straining against the clasp around his neck, but it was hopeless. I watched him, bemused, as he tested the limits, like a caged animal looking for the weakest point in its confinement. He glared at me, his teeth bared in a snarl, but I just smiled, crossing my arms as I looked down at him.
"You'll learn," I said calmly, enjoying the storm brewing in his gaze. "It's only a matter of time."